OK, I am pretty new at this and don't know what the tail lamp configuration on a stock 73 should look like. I guess I just assumed that it was original.

What I have are 4 identical red bubble lenses. The outer two house dual filament bulbs and the inner two house single filament bulbs. Sounds like the lenses might have been changed but the function should still be the same as original.

Thanks for the info.

i agree with Norsky. Sounds like someone has made some wiring changes to the tail lamp wires. i would take a look back there. it easier on a lift but you can do it with the rear jacked up. It's much easier to get to the wires with the rear lower panel removed , but this rquires removing the license benzel and the exhaust benzels whicch requires lowering the tail pipes. all in all its not that difficult. there probably a connection that came apart somewhere..

BoogyMan said: ... Sounds like the lenses might have been changed but the function should still be the same as original. ...

A simple way to check if the inside lights are working on the stock setup is to set the parking brake, turn the ignition on but don't start the engine, and shift into reverse. If the inside rear lights come on then you know that the stock wiring setup for the backup lights is still intact. If they don't come on you have some other problems.

The brake lights not coming on sounds like a brake switch issue as mentioned above. Do the brake lights work with the lights off? Do the turn signals work with the lights on and with the lights off? You got me really curious now!

Jim O.
Save the Wave...!!!

the switch may have been replaced but if its not set correctly it still will not light up the stop lamps, as i sugessted try jumping around the switch and see if the stop lights come on to remove it as the cause of the problem

Since you are saying "bubbles" I have to assume someone put on custom bubble lights, a fairly common mod. The stock lights are mostly flat and look like this:



I hope the picture stays up long enough, it's from an e-bay ad.

Joe

|UPDATED|2/25/2003 7:59:35 PM|/UPDATED|

Did you have a chance to email me that wiring diagram? I would sure appreciate it. I have compiled all the advice from the good folks in this forum and will begin working on the car again as soon as we thaw out. If you need an address to send it to you can send it to jim.hall@mwsu.edu.

You guys are awesome!
Thanks,

Tail light picture just so you can see what I have.

No doubt you have figured out that you have custom tail light covers. No telling what the previous owner did. But, the 73-Spot website has wiring diagrams, as well as a lot of other info: http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/vette73/index.htm so you can start tracing out the wires. Good luck. Joe

this is the wiring diagram page: http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/vette73/wiring.htm

|UPDATED|3/3/2003 9:33:04 PM|/UPDATED|

BoogyMan said: All four rear bubbles have lights in them. The two inner bubbles have single filament and the two outer have dual filament bulbs. They are all new as of this weekend. Still no inner lights and no break lights but when the headlights are on, the rear driving lights are on in the outer two.

Hey, I dunno if I'm too late on this, but I had that exact bubble kit on my 75. The kit itself comes with what is essentially a hackjob way of rewiring the lights!! I looked at one in the store and then looked at my car. The wires are connected with a threeway clasp that just clips over them with a little bit of plastic and according to the directions you shouldn't even strip the wires! NO WAY! I looked under the car and sure enough...little black clippies all over, pulled them off. Stripped the wires, soldered them together and Presto-Chango....EVERYTHING Works!!...except the backup lights...but big-red bulbs don't have back-up lights now do they? I'm still using those red lenses and they've worked fine for me since I replaced the little clippies that come in the kit with some good old fashion soldier. My guess would be that this is your problem since I had it very similarly. Blinkers all worked but the brake lights didn't work. Taillights worked too. Very strange, but easily solved!